Coupling and yoke connection



E. GEORGE, la

COUPLING AND YOKE CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4, 1920.

1,367,039. Patented Feb. 1,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ENOCI-T. GEORGE, .13., or rrrrsnnnen, rnNNsYLvanIn, AssreNon TO THE McCOINWAY & ronrarr coivrranr, or rrrrsnunen, rnnrcrsrnvnnraa CORPORATION or PENN- sYLyANrA. h

couPLI'Ne AND YOKE coNNEc'rIoN.

Patented Feb. 1, 1921.

Application filed June 4, 1920. Serial No. 386,608.

To all whom it may concern." i

Be it known that I, ENOCH' l-noses, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the conntyoi i-kllegheny and State oliPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coupling and Yoko Connections; and 1 do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the samem My inventionrelates totheproduction of a coupler and yoke connection for railway draft appliances, and has for its principal object to afford strong, durable and ellicicnt construction enabling carl couplers "of.

the type designed to be attached to the draft yoke without 4 capability of pivotal move ment to be connected to the yoke so asto be capable of extended lateral swinging.

movements with respect thereto. This object, generally stated, is accomplished by constructing the draft yoke with a for wardly opening hollow hood which integrally unites the arms of the dratt yoke and which is formed on its interior with a rear bearing face and with a cylindrically curved front-bearing face extendin upon opposite sides of the opening in t e forward end oi? the hood, and by interposingbetween the coupler and yoke an intermediate member provided with oppositely extending integrally united cylindrically curved trunnions which. engage an d cooperate with the bearing faces Within the hood,

said intermediate member being formed with oppositely disposed "slots adapted to receive key passing through a corresponding slot in therear end' oi the coupler stem and being adapted "to receive and overlap. the coupler stein adjacent said slots. The

invention also .involvesfecertain advantageous details of construction, all as will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings illustrating the invention, the scope whereof is pointed out in the c1ai1ns, i 1 i Figure 1 is a plan vrew'ol a coupler and yoke connection embodying my invention, the forward portion of the coupler and the in horizontal section, of the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. i is a section on the line %i-l;, Fig. 1.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the stem of a car coupler which is adapted to be pivotally mounted upon the car, and 2 is the draft yoke which is shown as being provided with vertically spaced parallel arms 3 between which the cushioning unit (not shown) is received, the arms 3 of the draft yoke being connected at their rear ends in the usual manner. The car coupler is of a type primarily designed to be attached to the draft yoke without capability of pivotal movement, and the rear end of its stem 1 is preferably of rectangular cross section having parallel side portions i and forwardly divergent side portions 5 immediately inailvance oi the parallel portions i and merging into the latter. The coupler stem is provided with a rearwardly opening aperture or recess 6 and is slotted near its rear end,'as at T, to receirc a transversely extending key 8.

The drait yoke is formed at its forward end with hollow hooded portion 9 whose side walls preferably flare outwardly and which integrally unites the arms 3 of the yoke at their forward ends. The outer end otthe hood 9 formed with an opening 10 and is providedupon its interior witha cylindrically curved rear bearing face 11 and a forward bearing face which is also curved cylindrically, the latter having portions 12 which extend upon opposite sides olthe opening ii) in the front of the hood.

The member 13 intermediate of the con pier and yoke and through the intervention of: which these parts oi the device are pivotally connected, is provided at its rear end with oppositely extending cylindrical trunnions 14: corresponding to and engag' ing the rear bearing face 11 of the yoke and the forward hearing portions 12, such bear ing of the parts being accomplished by cast ing the intermediate member 13 in assembled relation with the draft yoke 2. In ad vance of the trunnions lit the intermediate member 13 is fashioned with a forwardly extending" projection 15 which isadapted to enter the opening 6 in the rear end oi? the'coupler stem 1, such construction centeringthe rear end of the coupler with respect to the member 13 and assisting in strengthening said member against lateral strains communicated to it from the coupler. The intermediate member is provided with a forwardly facing bearing 16 which surrounds the projection 15 and against which the rear end of the coupler stem 1 bears when the parts are in assembled relation. Extending forwardly from the bearing face 16 and forming integral parts of the intermediate member 13, are spaced arms 17 having alined slots 18 which are adapted to receive the transversely extending key 8 whereby the connection with the coupler is made. The slotted arms 17 which embrace the coupler stem 1 between them are provided on their inner sides near their inner ends with parallel faces and near their outer ends with divergent faces which respectively correspond to and are adapted to engage the parallel portions 4 and divergent portions 5 of the sides of the coupler stem, the cooperating divergent faces on the coupler stem and on the arms 17 of the intermediate member facilitating fitting of these parts. In conjunction with the projection 15 and parallel faces 4; of the coupler stem and corresponding parallel faces upon the arms 17, the diver ent faces serve to prevent any substantia or excessive twisting movement of the coupler'stem between the arms 13, thus minimizing the danger of breaking said arms.

This construction affords a durable and efficient means of connecting the coupler to the draft yoke in a manner permitting the coupler to have a swinging lateral movement, and enables the coupler to be readily removed by merely withdrawing the transversely extending key 8.

Iclaimz- -1.' In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a yoke having arms which are integrally united at their forward ends and having a forwardly opening recess formed with integrally united cylindrically curved front and rear bearing faces, of a car coupler having at its rear end a transverse slot and a rearwardly opening recess,

slotted member intermediate of said coupler and yoke embracing the rear end of said coupler and pivotally attached to said yoke, and means extending through said slot of the coupler for connecting the latter to said slotted member, said intermediate memher having a projection extending into said rearwardly opening recess of the coupler and having integrally united cylindrically curved trunnions adapted to engage said curved bearing faces of the yoke.

2. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a yoke having a forwardly opening hollow hood formed on its interior with integrally united cylindrically curved front and rear bearing faces, portions of said front bearing face being on opposite sides of the opening in said hood, of a car yoke having portions engaging opposite sides of the stem of said coupler, and key means extending through said slot of the coupler stem for connecting the latter to said intermediate member, said intermediate member having oppositely extending integrally connected trunnions curved to correspond to said bearing faces of the yoke and engaging said bearing faces.

3. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a car coupler having a stem provided with a rearwardly opening recess, of a yoke, a member intermediate of said coupler and yoke and pivotally connected to the latter, and key means connecting said coupler and intermediate member, said intermediate member being provided with a projection extending into the said rearwardly opening recess of said coupler stem.

4:. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a car coupler having a stem which is formed at its rear end with lateral faces having parallel portions and forwardly divergent portions adjacent to and in advance of said parallel portions, of a yoke, a member intermediate of said coupler and yoke and pivotally connected to the latter, and a key device connecting said coupler and intermediate member for preventing longitudinal movement of said coupler with respect to said intermediate member, said intermediate member being slotted to receive said key device and being provided with oppositely disposed portions having inner faces formed with parallel and with divergent portions which are adapted respectively to engage the corresponding portions of the said lateral faces of the coupler stem.

5. In a coupler and yoke connection, the combination with a car coupler having a slotted stem which is formed at its rear end with lateral faces having parallel portions and forwardly divergent portions adjacent to and in advance of said parallel portions, of a yoke having a forwardly opening hollow hood formed on its interior with integrally united cylindrically curved front and rear bearing faces, portions of said front bearing face being on opposite sides of the opening in the forward end of said hood, a member intermediate of said coupler and yoke and pivotally connected to the latter, and key means extending into the slot of said coupler stem for connecting said coupler and intermediate member, the forward portion of said intermediate member being adapted to receive the rear end of said coupler stem and overlap the sides thereof and said intermediate member being provided of the opening in the forward end of said hood, of a member having oppositely disposed slots adapted to receive a key, said slotted member being adapted to receive the rear end of a coupler stem and to overlap the same adjacent said slots and being provided with oppositely extending integrally united cylindrically curved trunnions corresponding in curvature to said bearing faces of the yoke and engaging said bearing faces.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ENOGH GEORGE, JR. 

